All the Little Moments
by TheBookishGuitarist
Summary: In Half-Blood Prince, we only get a small amount of Harry/Ginny romance. This fanfiction is a bunch of missing moments from the few weeks they were dating: some which were referenced in the book, and some I made up on my own. Rated T for some mild language and sexual references.
1. Chapter 1

_**All the Little Moments**_

A/N: I've been on a bit of a Harry/Ginny kick recently, and I was inspired to write this. This basically follows the few weeks Harry and Ginny were dating in Half-Blood Prince. None of these chapters will be long; these are just small, missing moments from Half-Blood Prince. This first chapter takes place directly after Chapter 24, where Harry kissed Ginny. I hope you enjoy! Remember, if you have any feedback or constructive criticism, feel free to write a review. I'm always eager to improve my writing skills. 

**Chapter 1: After the Kiss**

"… _Harry grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly out of the portrait hole. A long walk in the grounds seemed indicated, during which – if they had time – they might discuss the match."_

 _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,_ page 499 

The sound of giggling and murmuring followed them out of the portrait hole, but by the time the Fat Lady's portrait swung shut, drowning out any trace of the noise, Harry had completely forgotten about it. For once, his mind was focused on only one thing. If someone had asked him, right then, why he'd had detention with Snape, he wouldn't be able to tell them. If Dumbledore had approached with information about the Horcruxes, it would have taken him a few minutes to remember what a Horcrux was.

 _I kissed Ginny_ , Harry thought, his grin widening, _and she kissed me back. And Ron's okay with it!_

Harry couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this happy. All those months spent agonizing over Ginny seemed silly in retrospect. How many sleepless nights had he spent wishing he didn't like his best friend's sister? Now, here he was, walking next to her, together.

 _She does want us to be together, right?_ Harry froze at the thought. What if she doesn't like him? Maybe she was looking for a snog, or maybe she didn't really like him but hadn't wanted to embarrass him in front of everyone. Maybe she was taking him in on a walk so she could let him down gently.

"You alright, Harry?" Ginny asked.

Her voice brought him back to Earth. He noticed that she was standing awfully close to him, and her hand seemed to be inching towards his. He remembered the hard, blazing look she had given him before he kissed her, and this gave him enough confidence to take her hand. When she smiled and squeezed his hand, Harry gave a sigh of relief.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm more than alright."

And so they continued walking, hands interlocked.

"So," said Ginny, "That was… unexpected."

"Well… yeah," said Harry lamely. "It was… kind of unexpected for me too."

"Oh?" said Ginny, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Harry felt his cheeks burn. "Well, I… I'd wanted to do that for a while, I just… I didn't expect to do it at that moment."

"So… what made you do it at that moment?"

Harry knew he must be as red as Ginny's hair. He stared at his shoes as he stuttered out a reply, praying he didn't sound sappy, "You… had this look in your eyes. You just- you just looked… happy. And…" He looked up, into Ginny's bright brown eyes, and continued. "You had your arms around me, and I just stopped thinking, I just… I just wanted to kiss you."

 _That wasn't so bad,_ Harry thought, as Ginny's eyes seemed to swim in euphoria. Talking to Ginny about personal things didn't feel as daunting as talking to Ron or Hermione. He remembered their talk in the library last year; she was the one person he'd told about his desire to see Sirius. How long had Ginny been there, willing to listen, someone he could talk to? How long had he known her before he finally opened his eyes and realised what was right in front of him?

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Ginny spoke again.

"You said you'd wanted to do that for a while. How long is 'a while'?"

"Well… I realised I liked you the day we walked in on you and Dean. Just seeing you together, like that… I wanted to tear him apart. But, I think I liked you before then. It probably started last summer."

"Well, at least _one_ boy in the house didn't get stuck in the Phlegm," Ginny quipped.

It wasn't Ginny's funniest joke, but Harry laughed loudly, carefree, as the two of them walked onto the grounds. He felt lighter than he had in a long time. The last time he'd felt this happy was when they won the Quidditch Cup in his third year.

The couple continued to walk across the grounds, holding hands, hearing the grass crunch underneath their feet… and talking. There was a lot of talking. Harry remembered his disastrous date with Cho Chang last year, how they could barely talk to each other, how she fell to pieces in that dreadful coffee shop. He was amazed how much easier it was to talk to Ginny. He knew what they could talk about; he knew he could be himself around her; he knew she wasn't about to start playing hard to get or try to make him jealous or start sobbing on his shoulder. He knew all of this, because he _knew_ Ginny. She'd been a part of his life for nearly six years, and the time when Ginny was too shy to talk to him was _very_ far in the past. They'd gotten to know each other in the past two years, and now Harry knew that she wasn't just Ron's shy little sister. She was so much more than that.

There was still a slight twinge of awkwardness, mostly on Harry's part, but that was because this was new, and nerve-wracking. Harry didn't know whether he'd screw it up or it wouldn't work. But, as the flowery scent of Ginny's hair filled the air, he knew that his elation made up for any nervousness he was feeling.

"Ron's approval means a lot to you, doesn't it?" Ginny asked later, after they both sat down under a tree near the lake.

"Yeah, it does," confessed Harry, "It was my main concern."

Ginny laughed. "You ought not to have worried, then. Ron's been dropping hints for ages that he'd like me to go out with you."

"Really?" asked Harry, shocked.

"You didn't catch on? He's made multiple comments _in front of you,_ and Ron's as subtle as Luna's fashion sense."

"No, he hasn't!" Harry protested.

"Wasn't Ron the one who suggested I go to the Yule Ball with you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Remember when I told you guys I'd broken up with Michael, and Ron told me to 'choose someone better next time', then looked _right at you?"_

Harry opened his mouth to dispute, but closed it immediately. He actually _did_ remember what Ginny was talking about. "Huh. I didn't know _that_ was what he was trying to say."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but she was still grinning from ear to ear.

"And everyone else won't mind?" Harry asked, now tracing circles on Ginny's hand with his thumb.

"Nah, Mum and Dad will be thrilled. They basically consider you a seventh son anyway. Bill and Charlie may sit you down for a talking-to, but it'll be alright. They all like you."

Once again, Harry gave a sigh of relief. The Weasleys were the closest thing he had to a family, and he would've hated to cause a rift by dating Ginny. The prospect of a stern warning from the oldest Weasley brothers, one of whom was tough enough to deal with dragons, was not exactly inviting, but he had a feeling that Ginny was worth the potential scare. Besides, Bill and Charlie had both been friendly to Harry whenever he was around, so they were bound to listen when assured them of his good intentions.

Well, he hoped they were.

Harry looked over at Ginny. Her flaming red hair was blowing gently in the wind, and she was looking at the lake, which seemed to be rippling slightly (was the giant squid just below the surface?) She had a look of contentment on her face. Harry only hesitated for a moment before bringing his hand up to brush her soft, flower-scented hair out of her face, so he could better see her eyes. Her haze drifted from the lake to him, and Harry, for the second time that day, leaned forward and kissed her.

This kiss was different to their first. Their first kiss had a definite air of excitement, but this one was softer, slower, and gentler. Harry cupped Ginny's soft, freckled cheek with the hand that wasn't holding hers. His heart raced as Ginny began to deepen the kiss, running her fingers through his messy hair. Harry felt like he could stay like this forever, but eventually, they broke apart. For the first time since his fourth year, he saw colour flood Ginny's cheeks, but she didn't avert her eyes or run away. She kept her gaze steady on him, and she flashed a crooked grin.

"So," Harry said, slightly breathless, "how was the match?" 

**A/N: Thanks to 'Boom Clap' by Charli XCX and 'Anna Sun' by WALK THE MOON for helping me write this chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Good Thing to Gossip About**

A/N: This chapter takes the same day as the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

" _The fact that Harry Potter was going out with Ginny Weasley seemed to interest a great number of people, most of them girls, yet Harry found himself newly and happily impervious to gossip over the next few weeks. After all, it made a very nice change to be talked about because of something that was making him happier than he could remember being for a very long time, rather than because he had been involved in horrific scenes of Dark magic."_

 _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,_ page 500

The scents of a hundred different types of food wafted out the door as Harry and Ginny approached the Great Hall for dinner, hands still intertwined. Harry grinned to himself as he thought of the day he'd spent with Ginny. After assuring him that none of his bits would be hexed off her brothers (and giving him a second kiss that was worth getting bits hexed off for), she'd gone into detail about the match against Ravenclaw. Despite a few drops of the Quaffle by Dean (which Harry pretended not to be happy about), the Gryffindor Chasers managed to score a hundred and seventy points, while Ravenclaw only managed to get past Ron five times- the third time was because a Ravenclaw Beater pelted a Bludger at him. He dodged the ruthless red ball in spectacular fashion, but was too distracted to stop the Quaffle.

Harry was particularly proud when Ginny described how she'd feinted to one side, as if she'd seen the Snitch in that direction, and sent Cho Chang hurtling toward that end of the pitch, while Ginny not only pulled off a thirty foot dive in the opposite direction, but even managed to catch the Snitch, ending the game on 320-50.

"It wasn't exactly a smooth dive, mind you," said Ginny modestly at one point. "I kind of wobbled a bit after I caught the Snitch. Still, at least I was actually watching the Snitch." She smirked at that last comment.

She did seem a bit smug about Cho's poor performance, but Harry didn't mind. He was, after all, secretly glad that Dean had performed the worst out of the Chasers, and he was on Harry's team! Who was he to talk?

The conversation didn't end at the match, however. They discussed professional Quidditch; he learned that she supported the Holyhead Harpies, and she learned that he was still undecided on specific Quidditch teams, but after spending the year listening to the WWN and reading books on Quidditch teams to try to find tactics for his team, he'd started leaning towards Puddlemere United.

"But don't tell Ron. I don't want him to feel like the only Cannons supporter in the world."

"The truth hurts," muttered Ginny, and Harry smirked.

After that, Ginny admitted that she dreamed of playing for the Holyhead Harpies one day. Harry had heard her say previously that she'd liked to play for them, but he'd had no idea she was serious. He could imagine sitting in a massive Quidditch stadium while her fiery hair danced rapidly from one end of the pitch to the other, tossing the Quaffle through the hoops with ease and triumphantly holding up the Quidditch Cup, with a few small scrapes and bruises as symbols of her hard work.

Harry then told her what he'd told no one else: that he'd once briefly dreamed of being a Quidditch star, but later decided an Auror was the career for him. This led to him telling her about McGonagall standing up for him in front of Umbridge, which led to at least forty minutes spent verbally abusing everything from Umbridge's voice to her clothes to her ugly, toad-like face.

These conversations they had were not life-shattering. But Harry felt as if he already knew so much more about Ginny than he did this morning. They were little details, like the fact that Ginny tends to swear when she's talking about someone she _really_ doesn't like (he found this out whilst they were ranting about Umbridge, or Umbitch, as Ginny calls her), or the fact that she's even more passionate about Quidditch than him or Ron, or the fact that she tucks her hair behind her ear whenever she's about to start talking about something that excites her, or the fact that she injured her wrist the first time she snuck into the broom shed and flew on Charlie's broom, and as soon as her father healed her with the promise that Mrs Weasley would not know, she gave Bill's broom a try. These facts weren't that important, but Harry felt extremely privileged to finally be in a position where he could learn about these things, and looked forward to finding out something else about her the next day.

Eventually, they'd needed to wander back inside, as Harry wanted to avoid any more detentions and their stomachs were leading them towards the Great Hall. They were now standing in the doorway, preparing themselves for some staring and whispering. No doubt word had travelled to the other houses, and considering Harry was famous and Ginny was popular among the students, both of them knew their relationship would be a hot topic of gossip.

"Brace yourself," Ginny sighed, and they stepped into the Great Hall.

For a few seconds, it seemed that no one noticed them, but then the whispers broke out, travelling further up the four house tables like a wave. Harry could distinctly hear girls giggling. He waited for the feeling of annoyance to rise up inside him, the way it has the many times he has been in this situation in the past six years… but it never came. He'd been dealing with muttering almost non-stop since he attacked Malfoy, and it only made him feel ashamed, but this… this made him feel _good._ He could feel a smile creeping up in his face.

For the first time, Harry was not being whispered about in a negative way, because of his use of Dark magic or because of Voldemort. He was being whispered about because he kissed Ginny Weasley, and was now holding her hand as they walked to dinner, which was something he felt absolutely no sorrow, shame or annoyance about. He squeezed Ginny's hand tighter as they found Ron and Hermione and sat down, feeling lighter than a balloon.

Hermione beamed at they took their seats, but Ron looked slightly wary.

"Hey Hermione," said Ginny, "Hello Ron." She said the last part almost threateningly.

Ron seemed to struggle with himself a bit, but after an impatient nudge from Hermione, who also whispered "Remember what we talked about", he gave Harry a slightly embarrassed smile and said, ears turning pink, "Um… if it has to be anyone, I'm glad it's you. I… I'm happy for you two."

Ginny and Hermione smirked, but Harry looked Ron in the eye and said, sincerely, "Thanks mate."

Once again, Harry heard girls giggling behind him and he sat next to Ginny, but he was once again struck by how much he did not mind.

 _Let them giggle,_ Harry thought, _Let them whisper. Dating Ginny Weasley is a pretty damn good thing to gossip about._

A/N: Thanks to the _La La Land_ soundtrack for helping me write this chapter. If you haven't seen _La La Land,_ go see it! I've seen it twice, and it's great. The cinematography, the colour palette, the music, the acting, it was all great. And the ending was fantastic.

I know this chapter was a lot shorter than the last one, but I didn't feel like this chapter needed to go on for too long. Please feel free to leave feedback, whether positive or negative. I just want to say thank you to everyone who read the first chapter of this fanfic. Thank you to **smallwjl** and **scrappy8** (anonymous)for reviewing, thank you to **Ad23, Beeweezy8, GreenEyedGirl510, McNerdybird, Metal Machine, MollyPrewettWeasley, WeasleyCousin, daydreamer111581, dreamwriter32, jaanaa, smallwjl** and **vaiolet90** for following this story, thank you to **Ad23, McNerdybird, Metal Machine, benjamindh, dreamwriter32** and **fantasyrose91** for favouriting this story, and thank you to the 218 people who viewed this story. It blows my mind that 218 people all over the world, from the US to Australia to Peru, read the first chapter of my story. That is _insane._

Until next time!


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